She was weary. Jane could feel it, the tired in every fiber of muscle and the weight of every decision heavy down into the marrow of her bones. The success of Thessia and a promise from the Asari did nothing to lessen the burden, just add to it. More lives in her hands. More trust she felt would never be rightly deserved. Jane let out a sigh, her head falling back against a storage crate, one leg thrown out in front of her, the other pulled to her chest, the hangar bay the only quiet place on the ship.

A hum escaped her lips, a tune she no longer knew the words to. She could remember how she had once thought that life was a musical the way Johnny went around singing all the time, but the only singing she did now was for the weary soldier and the broken man. A small comfort to some, a last lullaby to others. She had been asked once why she sang to them. All she could say was that it was the only way she could offer comfort for a soul as lost and broken as her own.

A scuff against the paneled floor drew her attention to a pair of strong legs covered in Alliance fatigues. He said nothing as he crouched to the floor beside her before sitting down, his head falling back harshly against the crates as he let out a tired sigh. They said nothing for a moment, Jane unsure what to say or what exactly it was that he wanted. Kaidan had never been one to seek her out for alone time. But something was changing between them, had been since she laid into him about Legion. A camaraderie was forming. A friendship. Trust.

His head fell to the side, eyes tired as they looked over at her. He stayed silent for a moment, her mouth twitching in amusement at the absurd comfort of the silence.

"You did good back there Jane. On Thessia. Hell, you've been doing a damn fine job even if you don't think so," Kaidan said, Jane's left brow quirking up towards her hairline. "Yeah don't try to deny it. You carry it on you shoulders, all heavy, like your brother did."

"I'm not the only one carrying weight around here. You just carry it deep in the eyes. You're better at hiding it than I am."

Kaidan laughed quietly as he turned away and looked out at the empty hangar bay.

"That's what us Alliance dogs do, carry the weight," Jane added on a tired whisper.

"We shoulder the weight," Kaidan said, "and share the burden. That's what comrades are for. What friends are for."

Jane smiled at him, the gesture going unnoticed.

"I just need to blow off some steam and I'll be right as rain. We could all blow off some steam," Jane replied. Kaidan looked over at her, his face brightening.

"I have the perfect idea."

"An orgy?" Jane joked, getting a flash of scandal before it disappeared from his face.

"No," he said. "Something better."

Feron watched Liara from his place on the bed, back resting against the cool, metal headboard, legs crossed at the ankle. She was fiddling with her computer, Glyph analyzing by her side. She worked deftly, even with her dominant arm in a sling. He liked watching her, the way the muscles in her back moved as she worked and the look of concentration she got on her lightly freckled face. When he had met her, not all that long ago, he thought she was green under the gills and just a girl that would get in the way of his biggest payday. But he had been wrong. And he loved the fact that he had been.

"Liara why don't you take a break and come over here," Feron said, smoothing one of his long- fingered hands over the light blue cotton sheets beneath him. Liara paused for a moment, her head tilting to the side before she went back to her work.

" I would love to, but I have to finish this," Liara said softly.

"The Shadow Broker never rests," Feron said as his head fell back against the headboard.

"The fate of everything could rest on figuring out what this is Feron. Rest is secondary, love comes after."

He let out a curt laugh, "And the Alliance speaks through blue tinted lips."

Liara stopped then, fingers hovering over her key pad. She looked back over at him, a tiny grin on his face.

"Sometimes i wonder if i should have left you to the Shadow Broker."

"You don't mean that T'soni. I'm the best operative you got and the best you ever had," he teased, taking her jab lightly.

"Say's you."

"Say's you...repeatedly."

Liara smiled, concealed her laughter and went back to the task at hand. She couldn't take a break, not when so much was on the line. Shepard never had and neither would she. Liara was close, she could feel it. Glyph made a noise beside her, grabbing her attention away from the code on her screen.

"What is it Glyph?" She asked as she looked over at the drone.

"I have found something," he replied before pulling up a diagram. It floated in front of them, a triple helix twirling slowly as if it were alive. And a gap in one of the strands, a missing piece to the puzzle.

"Is that?" Feron asked from behind her. he was hovering now, his gaze transfixed on the double helix. Liara went over to Glyph's computer, typing furiously on the keyboard.

"Glyph do a comprehensive sweep of all directories and pull up anything containing the word crucible," Liara commanded.

Fade to the left. Strike with the right.

Jane couldn't help the smile that came to her face as Vega took a staggering step back to catch himself. They had sparred many times in the past. She figured he would have caught on to her oldest trick by now. Jane let out a little laugh as she bounced on the balls of her feet, circling him as he came to his feet.

"Falling for old tricks Vega? I thought you learned your lesson?"

He let out a rough laugh as he swiped the back of his fist across his bloodied lip before putting up his fists once again. " Some lessons are better left ignored Lola."

"You sadist."

"What can I say? I like it rough," Vega said before he lunged at her, one fist hammering down and being reflected by her forearm. She let out a grunt of pain as she swiveled and slammed an elbow back between his shoulder blades.

Laughter erupted from the sidelines, drawing both of the fighters attention. Sticks was leaning against a crate, arms crossed over his chest, a smug look on his face as he looked over at Garrus standing beside him. Garrus stood silently, gaze intent on the bout, startling when Sticks rapped him on the chest with his knuckles. Garrus looked to the other Turian, his mandibles twitching slightly.

"My bets on the girl," Sticks started, " The guy might be big, but that just means he will far harder. Small but mighty, right Jane?"

She tsk'd at her friend as she came out of her fighting stance and rounded on Vega who was just standing there with a smile on his face. He winked at her as she shucked him on the chin. There was no need to continue the fight. They both know who would win in the end anyway. Jane of course. She always bested him one way or another. Besides, their five minutes were up.

"Alright who's next? Anyone else want to ease tension?" Jane said as she tapped one of her bare feet against the cold paneled floor of the Normandy's cargo hold. Kasumi pushed herself off the side of the mako and towards their makeshift ring. She turned to face them and pointed at Kaidan.

"Show me what you got Commander Alenko."

Kaidan smiled slightly, arms dropping from across his chest. He pushed himself off the supply crates and Jane quickly took his place and jumped atop the crate as he made his way toward Kasumi. He circled her for a moment, Kasumi standing perfectly still and unaffected by his unexpected posturing.

"The two of you are so transparent," Jane said with a sigh as she gave Kal'Reegar a friendly pat on the shoulder as he came to a stop beside her. He had been fidgeting with his rifle during most of the bouts, but now had finally come to join the fun.

The two didn't respond. Kaidan's eyes were locked on the thief as her smirk grew with every circle he took, never looking at him. Kaidan came to a halt in front of her, a promising glint in his eye as he spoke.

"Should I go easy on you?" He teased knowing full well that she could give him a run for his money. She was faster and more limber, where the biotic tended to move like a graceless tank.

Kasumi let out a raucous laugh before flickering and snapping out of sight. Kaidan spun around quickly, hands glowing blue and the color crawling up his arms. His eyes narrowed as he paused his breath, focusing on any disturbance in the air around him. He felt a slam against his side that sent him staggering. Ha faltered to gain his composure and was swiftly knocked off his feet. he hit the ground hard, breath expelling from his lungs as he kept his head from knocking against the cool plating. Kasumi flickered back into view, standing over Kaidan with a smugness on her face.

"No need commander. I do fine on my own."

Jane let out an uproarious laugh from her perch on the supply crate, slapping at her knee roughly. She hadn't expected Kaidan to go down so fast.

"I think the tension between the two of you needs to be solved elsewhere," Kal'Reegar pipped up surprisingly. She slapped him hard on the shoulder, the steady Quarian not moving an inch.

"Ain't that the truth," Jane said, laughter filling the hangar bay. The bay door opened loudly, drawing her attention away from her to come over. Jane jumped off the crate and made her way to the Asari, the look in her blue eyes becoming clearer the closer she got.

"What is it?" Jane asked.

"I found it."

Jane's brow furrowed. "Found what?"

"The Crucible. What it is I mean," Liara finished as she raced back through the doors of the hangar, Jane right on her heels. They didn't go to Liara's quarters like Jane expected, but detoured to the comm room, Liara calling out for EDI to pull up the Crucible file.

Jane watched as an image flickered to life over the communications table. It hovered there, circling slowly, the triple helix massive and blue and telling her nothing.

"What is this?" Jane asked, looking away from the projection, to Liara and back to the triple helix.

"It's the Crucible," Liara answered, her voice filled with excitement and awe.

Jane frowned. "I imagined something bigger."

"So did I, but this makes perfect sense if you think about it."

Jane said nothing as she waited for Liara to continue.

"From all the research done on the Reapers we know that they are connected to a hive mind. Some central-type computer that is giving out commands, similar to the Geth. The Crucible is a virus, a kill switch of sorts. You infect the center, or as my research has found, something called the Catalyst, and you kill the Reapers for good."

"It sounds to easy," Jane commented, crossing her arms over her chest. "And what is that?" She finished as she motioned to the gap in the helix.

"A missing piece of the virus. We need to find out what it is and what this Catalyst is."

"Not so simple after all," Jane sighed. "I could have gone for simple."

"All we need is that one spark and we will beat this," Liara said, a small smile playing at her lips as she looked back up at the hologram.

Jane snorted slightly to herself. She sounded just like Johnny.